Lodestar: Keeper Of The Lost Cities

Runaway

        Drip,drip,drip. Sophie was inside a cave near Calla's tree, thinking over the last 24 hours.
It was morning now, but it might as well have been nighttime for all she cared. Drip,drip,drip. The sound taunted her, reminding her why she was there, because she couldn't handle the events of the previous hours with pitying looks, reminding her she was in a cave because she felt alone and worthless, and she didn't want to be seen like that. She would come back soon, she assured herself, she just needed time to herself.

         One word Sophie would use to describe herself would've been hard-working, or maybe clever. Before. Before she realized that the Neverseen was against her, not the Black Swan, but Sophie. And frankly, she didn't believe she was altogether worth that struggle. She was a failure, couldn't even keep her closest friends, practically her family, safe and protected.

            But why her? She'd never done anything to deserve all the hardship and neither had those around her. But nevertheless, those around her, those who had cared for her, ended up hurt. Even though she was well aware she couldn't control the Neverseen, she couldn't help but feel, well, responsible.

             Now words she thought would fit her were determined, slightly ruthless, and, though she didn't want to think about it, she thought hopeless might fit her too.

          Hopeless. Those innocent eight letters translated into a horrible, dark future. Hopeless. She couldn't fulfill the expectations the Black Swan had created her for. But she couldn't stand that thought, the thought that she couldn't control or deserve a better, hopeful future.
So that thought stayed tucked in the dark corners of her mind, deep to ensure Fitz couldn't discover it. She couldn't handle him discovering it. Don't think about that, she scolded herself.

            So instead she let her mind wander to the events of the last hours, unknowingly cracking the delicate wall she'd built to keep those emotions out. But in a moment, that wall broke and it all came rushing back.

I can't pretend I'm who you want me to be anymore.

As of this moment, Prentice is awake.

Eighteen words that could chang her for better or worse. The problem was, she didn't know which one. As soon as she'd heard the first eleven words, she wondered if maybe it'd be easier to just not trust. It wouldn't hurt as much. If Keefe had betrayed her, who could she trust? And as soon as she'd heard those last eight words, she remembered thinking, I'm not ready. Fitz can't help me now. Unable to handle that responsibility and pressure, Sophie had leaped to Havenfield and ran to Calla' s tree, later finding this cave. It was hidden behind Calla's sparkling leaves, and the tall shiny grass that acted as a shield. She didn't know why she was still here. This wasn't making the previous hours easier to deal with. If anything, it made it harder. No one to comfort her, no one who could understand.

          But still. They didn't really understand. Since Alden's mind had broke, Keefe and Sophie had formed a bond that no on else had. They understood each other. And not even Fitz could surpass that understanding. And now that he left, she wasn't sure she could trust anymore.

        Oh, Keefe...........why'd you have to leave? I would've supported you. We could've dealt with this together, Sophie thought.

         Everything she touched was harmed. Not for the first time, Sophie thought about leaving. She didn't know where, just away. Away from everything she could harm.

        And then she thought that maybe she could. But she couldn't do it alone. But who would help her? It couldn't be Fitz, Biana, or Dex. And she wasn't going to drag her parents into this.......so that left-- Tam and Linh! She didn't want to harm them, but she had no choice. She knew Tam wasn't particularly fond of the Black Swan, and Linh..........She wasn't sure if Linh would come. And Tam would never abandon Linh, as well he shouldn't. But she'd deal with that later. Right now she'd find them and try to convince them to aid her. And if they said no, she would leave anyway, she would find people to aid her.

        She decided that she'd been hidden long enough. She didn't want to face them, but she knew she would have to. She slowly snaked towards the cave's opening and discovered Fitz angrily pacing the ground around Calla. What would she do now? Biana was there trying to calm him down, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, while Dex watched them, anxiously reassembling a gadget that had what looked like a throbbing, pulsing translucent goo shining with a bluish light with wires of green,pink, and red coiled around the goo. She couldn't find a way out without being found. She'd wanted to say goodbye before she ran away--but not like this! Not with them so clearly distraught. What would she tell them? She was thinking through all possible scenarios when Fitz suddenly exploded.

           "Where could she have gone? I can't believe she just left like that! How did she think we would feel? After Keefe......" Fitz's voice faltered, melting into sadness. A silence carried on for 285 seconds before Biana spoke.

           "I'm sure she didn't mean for this to happen.", Biana started. "She was probably nervous about the whole Prentice thing and didn't think--"

          "That's just it--she didn't think." Fitz interuppted. Sophie could feel her eyes start to tear up. "Dex is that gadget almost done?"

            "Yeah", Dex replied, eager to find Sophie. "Give me a minute and I should be able to track Sophie to her exact spot."

           Just then Sophie rocketed out of the cave, seemingly out of nowhere, towards the cliffs, not too far away. Another moment and She would've been discovered. She heard her friends' cries as they desperately pleaded with her to return. Their feet pounded on the earth, and just when Sophie thought she was going to outrun them, Fitz released a final burst of speed and tackled her. She gasped as her back and head hit the ground, then fluttered her eyes shut as the world disappeard into hazy darkness.

Heeeeyyyy!!!! Hope you guys liked that chapter, I'm new to wattpad and that was my first-ever chapter. 1046 words, not bad but I'll try to make the chapters longer. Tell me what you think of the story, how I can make it better, ideas, anything, just comment and vote!!! Oh and one more thing-- follow me at @ridley123! That's it for now thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it.